problem with hood and ear

[Rooster1]

I normally don’t dive with a hood mainly because I don’t like it but this time of the year I have to because it is cold. Earlier in the year I suffered my first ear problem in a quarry in water that was 56 degrees and while wearing a hood. I had used a hood a couple of times since without incident; but a couple of weeks ago while diving Gilboa quarry in Ohio I again on my first dive started to feel ear pain in the same right ear and quickly aborted the dive and returned to do a second dive with no pain and no problem, well this weekend we were down in Whitestar Quarry in Ohio and on the first dive again wearing a hood I started to feel the ear pain in my right ear but quickly ascended a few feet and was able to equalize my right ear and dove without a problem. It did help that I would pull the hood away from my ears as it seemed to be sucked against the side of my head……..my question is…..is there a home made ear solution I can brew up to use before diving with a hood that will hopefully eliminate this pesky problem??

 

[DiveTub]

You should always peel the hood back as soon as you get in the water and let the water fill your ears then replace the hood, otherwise you have an air space there in your outer ear that you cant equalize, this will lead to a squeeze that will be painful.

 

[rickyd]

You can also try burning a small hole in the hood. Have someone mark exactly where your ears are when wearing the hood, and burn a hole with a soldering pencil. I doesn't have to be big; half the diameter of a pencil is plenty. It's not enough to cause any significant leakage, but, I find helped me with same problem as you described.

 

[Scubaroo]

rickyd once bubbled...
You can also try burning a small hole in the hood. Have someone mark exactly where your ears are when wearing the hood, and burn a hole with a soldering pencil.

Make sure you stop when you smell burning wax!:bonk:

 

[Dryglove]

I also had the exact same problems while wearing a hood.I burned two small holes where my ears are and no more problems.It works like a charm.Give it a try.

 

[BillP]

Howdy Rooser1:

As others have already said, ear squeeze is not uncommon with hoods. There is an airspace in your outer ear canal between the eardrum and outside world that can become a closed airspace when your hood "sucks" against the side of your head on descent. That airspace must be equalized with the ambient pressure just like any other airspace.

As you've already discovered, the easiest way to equalize the outer ear canal is to pull the hood away from your ear so the space is no longer "closed" by the hood and is exposed to the surrounding pressure. And as others have already mentioned, you can also modify your hood so you don't have to pull on it to equalize (or get another hood that fits differently).

There is no ear solution that you can brew or buy to relieve the problem. The problem is not caused by a lack of medication, and trying to eliminate the airspace by filling the ear canal with fluid instead of air seems impractical, unnecessary, and unwise.

HTH,

Bill

 

[Rooster1]

thanks for the replies